Dog in Spanish: Perro, Perra and Useful Commands

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The most common word for “dog” in Spanish is perro. For a female dog, you can say perra, while “puppy” is cachorro or cachorra. You'll also hear the affectionate forms perrito and perrita.

Short dog-training cues can give you some low-pressure Spanish retrieval practice, but they won't teach you the imperative or replace conversation. A cue is a signal linked to one behaviour, and dogs respond to consistency, timing and reinforcement rather than the language itself. If your dog already knows a cue, introduce any Spanish alternative gradually instead of changing the rules overnight.

In 2018, Schatzi was introduced on the @irishpolyglot Instagram account as a 14-week-old male puppy from a rescue centre who was due to be Fi3M’s canine member for a year. His name is a German nickname meaning “little treasure”. Here’s the archived post:

“Dog” in Spanish: Perro or Perra?

Perro is the masculine form and can also be the general word for a dog when its sex isn't relevant. Perra is the feminine form. When perra is applied to a person, it can be a strong insult in many places, so keep that word in its animal context.

The double rr in perro is a trill, unlike the single r in pero (“but”). If that contrast is new to you, use this guide to practise the Spanish rolled r.

Spanish	Meaning	Use
perro	dog; male dog	Also the usual generic form
perra	female dog	Gender-specific; insulting when used for a person in many regions
cachorro / cachorra	puppy	The straightforward age-based term
perrito / perrita	little dog; dear little dog	An affectionate diminutive, and sometimes used for a puppy
perro pequeño / perro grande	small dog / big dog	Describes size rather than age

Dog Breeds in Spanish

“Dog breed” is raza de perro. Some breed names are borrowed with little or no change, including beagle, bóxer, husky and chihuahua. Other names vary by country, kennel organisation and everyday usage, so use this as a practical starting set rather than one universal list.

• Great Dane: gran danés
• German shepherd: pastor alemán
• Poodle: caniche (you may also hear the borrowed poodle)
• Greyhound: galgo; Spanish greyhound: galgo español
• Bloodhound: perro de San Huberto
• Mixed-breed dog: perro mestizo; chucho is colloquial and its tone varies
• Purebred dog: perro de raza pura; pedigrí means the animal’s pedigree

For more species and pet vocabulary, see the full guide to animals in Spanish.

Dog Commands in Spanish

Most of the verb forms below are informal singular commands, the forms used with tú. Forms used with vos or usted differ, and dog-training cues are fixed signals rather than a universal phrasebook. Trainers in different places may choose another word, a noun, an adjective or even a sound for the same behaviour. Pick one clear cue for each action and keep it consistent.

Use reward-based training and work on one small behaviour at a time. If a cue is connected to safety, aggression, fear or recall outdoors, get help from a qualified reward-based trainer rather than using a vocabulary article as a training manual.

Type of cue	How it works	Examples
Affirmative tú command	A direct command to one familiar addressee	ven, sal, trae, espera, ladra, bebe, come
Reflexive affirmative command	The reflexive pronoun attaches to the positive command	siéntate, échate, date la vuelta, detente, bájate
Affirmative command with an object pronoun	lo or la replaces the object and attaches to the command	tómalo, suéltala, tráelo, dámela
Negative tú command	no plus a present-subjunctive form	no hagas, no ladres, no comas
Non-imperative cue	A trained word, not a command-form verb	quieto/quieta, junto, aquí, silencio
Exhortative cue	A proposal meaning “let’s…”	vamos

“Good Dog” and “Bad Dog” in Spanish

¡Muy bien! (“Very good!”) is a natural praise marker. ¡Buen perro! and ¡Buena perra! are the gender-matched versions of “Good dog!”

Perro malo or perra mala literally means “bad dog”, but labelling the dog doesn't tell it which action you want. A brief interruption cue followed by the wanted behaviour and a reward is clearer.

“Yes” and “No” in Spanish

“Yes” is sí, with an accent, and “no” is no. A specific cue is usually more useful than repeating no: déjalo means “leave it”, while No hagas eso means “Don’t do that.”

“Sit” and “Stay” in Spanish

Siéntate means “Sit down.” For “stay”, common cues include quieto (or quieta when treated as an agreeing adjective) and quédate. The exact cue matters less to the dog than using the same one every time.

“Roll Over” and “Lie Down” in Spanish

Échate is a common cue for “Lie down”, and túmbate is another option you may hear, especially in Spain. “Roll over” can be rueda or date la vuelta, depending on the trainer. These are informal tú commands, which keeps the grammar consistent with the rest of this list.

“Take It” and “Drop It” in Spanish

Use toma (“take”) or tómalo (“take it”) for a masculine object: Toma el palo means “Take the stick.” For a feminine object, the pronoun changes, as in tómala.

Suelta means “let go” or “drop it” as a cue. You can also use suéltalo or suéltala when replacing the object with a pronoun, or say Suelta la pelota (“Drop the ball”).

“Fetch” and “Give” in Spanish

Trae comes from traer, “to bring”, so it describes the return part of fetch. Tráelo means “Bring it”, while some trainers use a separate cue such as busca for the search or retrieval. Dame means “Give me” with the object supplied by context, and dámelo means “Give it to me.” Not every dog enjoys fetching, so use the cue for a behaviour your dog has actually learned.

“Wait” and “Heel” in Spanish

Espera means “Wait.” The common dog-training cue for walking at your side is junto. The literal body-part word talón means “heel”, but it isn't the usual cue for this behaviour.

“Go Lie Down” in Spanish

Ve a tu cama means “Go to your bed”, and the shorter A tu cama can become a fixed cue. Once cama has a clear meaning for the dog, you can add Échate en tu cama (“Lie down in your bed”).

“Come” and “Here” in Spanish

The positive tú command of venir is the irregular form ven. Ven aquí means “Come here”, and ¡Ven a mí! means “Come to me!” In common voseo, you may hear vení, while the usted form is venga. Recall is a safety skill, so practise it in a secure place or on a long line and follow local lead rules instead of assuming the same custom applies everywhere Spanish is spoken.

“Stop” and “Quiet” in Spanish

Para and detente can both mean “Stop”, while silencio is a possible quiet cue. No ladres means “Don’t bark”, No comas means “Don’t eat”, sal means “go out” and bájate means “get down.” Match the cue to one observable action rather than expecting a whole sentence to explain the rule.

“Give Me Your Paw” in Spanish

Dame la pata means “Give me your paw.” For a “speak” trick, ladra is the tú command of ladrar (“to bark”), and di hola means “Say hello.”

“Let’s Go” in Spanish

¡Vamos! means “Let’s go!” and is an exhortative form rather than a singular tú command. For “Go outside”, sal, fuera, ve afuera and sal afuera are possible trainer or regional choices. Sal afuera is common in parts of Latin America but can sound redundant elsewhere; sal is the irregular tú command of salir.

“Drink” and “Eat” in Spanish

Bebe means “Drink” and come means “Eat.” Bebe tu agua and Come tu comida are grammatical but sound possessive-heavy; short choices include bebe agua, toma agua, come and a comer, depending on the region and trainer. Duration and permission to start eating come from a separately trained release cue, not from repeating quieto or espera.

Dog Treats in Spanish

A training treat or reward is commonly a premio. Recompensa is the broader word for a reward, while galleta para perros means “dog biscuit” and golosina para perros means a dog treat. Which word sounds most natural can vary by region.

For a playful line, you could say ¿Quién es un buen chico? ¡Aquí tienes una galletita! (“Who’s a good boy? Here’s a little biscuit!”). The ending -ito or -ita often adds a small or affectionate sense, but Spanish also has forms such as -cito/-cita and -ecito/-ecita, along with regional alternatives. You can't make every diminutive by mechanically adding -ito.

Dog Etiquette and a Safe Spanish Practice Plan

There is no single “Spanish-speaking culture” for dogs. Laws, access rules, training vocabulary and attitudes differ between countries, cities and households. Check the local rules for leads, parks, transport and accommodation, and ask before approaching or touching someone else’s dog. The first and third phrases below use informal tú; with formal usted, use su perro and no lo acaricie.

• ¿Puedo acariciar a tu perro?: “Can I pet your dog?”
• ¿Se admiten perros aquí?: “Are dogs allowed here?”
• Mi perro es nervioso; por favor, no lo acaricies.: “My dog is nervous; please don’t pet him.”
• ¿Dónde hay un veterinario?: “Where is there a vet?”

To turn the vocabulary into language practice, choose five behaviours your dog already performs on familiar cues. Check the pronunciation and regional wording with a trusted Spanish speaker. For one behaviour at a time, say the new Spanish cue once, then give the familiar cue, mark and reward the action, and repeat in short sessions. Test the Spanish cue by itself only once that pairing is reliable; if the dog is confused, return to the familiar cue. Keep a simple note of which cue the dog recognises reliably.

Then use the words beyond training. Say or write a short description such as Mi perra se llama Luna. Es mestiza, tiene tres años y le encanta jugar con la pelota. (“My dog is called Luna. She is mixed-breed, she is three years old and she loves playing with the ball.”) Ask a Spanish speaker to correct it, then use the corrected version in a real conversation. Dog cues are deliberately blunt, so don't copy their register when asking a person to do something.

If you want structured practice with verbs and grammar after this short list, the Language Gym is our paid course for building those patterns. You can also move from cues to people with these Spanish conversation starters.